Electric-lighting apparatus.



G. WRIGHT.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11

H is DTttorney.

iii-7622,2942?! 5i Inventor: Gilbert, Wright,

Patented July 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l Witnesses:

e. WRIGHT. ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS.

APPLlCATiON FILED MAR. 11, 1914. 1,271,980 Patented July 9,1918..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Inventor Gilbert W i ht,

His JIttorney.

. Fi .6. M 19 44 itnesses: g.

To all whom it may concern:

GILBERT wear, 'or scrmmacirsnv, NEW-YORK, assrenon 'ro GENERAL memocomm, A oonroaa'rron or New YORK.

ELECTRIC-LIGHTING APPARATUS Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1918.

Be it known that I, GILBERT WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric- LightingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric lighting ap a-ratus and electriccircuit connections, and especially to sockets or receptacles forelectric lampsand the like and to the mounting of such lamps and socketsin'reflec'to'rs and in lanterns. It is m aim to make the lampconveniently accessile when mounted in a lantern; to enable it to beeasily and quickl focused or adjusted with reference to its r ector soas to give whatever intensity and distribution of light may at themoment be desired; to emit thelamp and its reflector to be readi yremoved from the lantern andused as a portable light or seamhlight; andtocombine serviceability,

- durability, and a good appearance with simplicity and ruggedness ofconstruction and ease and chea ness of manufacture. These and various 0tier advantages that will hereinafter become apparent especially adaptthe invention to the lighting equipment of automobiles; but its utilityis not by any means restricted to this field.

Myv invention comprises various novelfeatures of construction andvarious novel parts and combinations and arrangements of parts that willbe hereinafter set forth by the illustration and description of the bestforms of'apparatus embodying them at present known to me,and' will bedefinitely pointed outand distinguished in my cla1ms,- for while myinvention extends to various specific features and-details shown anddescribed, it is not confined thereto.- Moreover, while I have shownand'described my invention as embodied in simple form of apparatusconstructed on the single wire system commonly em lo ed for automobiles,it will be understoo -t at many, at" least, of

,its features are applicable in other'systems of wiring.

Iii the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 ,is a sectional-mew through-alantern suitable for use as an automobile headlight,

certain of the internal parts being also partially brokenaway'f 0'1 insection. v

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail view of 'the'pa'rts directlyinvolved in the mountin of the lamp.

ig. 3 is-a separate view (not in of one of the parts shown in Fig. 2turned 90 from the position shown in thati'figure.

Fig. 4 is a view similar toFig. 1 o'ffcertain of 'the inner partsof theTanteimshowing a modified form of construction.

Fig. '5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view illustrating theconstruction shown in Fi 4, certain parts being removed or partial ybroken away.

Fig. '6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with various parts in section. v

Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged detail views of certain parts shown in 1,2"a11d6, Fig. 7 being an end view, andig. 8 a longitudin'al section.

Figs. 9 and 10 are views similar to Figs. 7 and 8 showing a modifiedform of construction, the parts beingl shown as turned 90 from theposition in t ose figures.

Figs. 11, 12 and 13"are long tudinal sectional views illustrating'acoupling 'or connecting plug device suitable for flexible coi'dci'1'cuits,as, for example the exterior supply connection of the lanternshown in Fi l. Y "%he automobile headlight lantern shown in Fig: 1comprises an ordinary metal casing 1, a glazed front 2 bin-ed thereto inthe 'usual way, and a para olic metal reflector structure 3 for theincandescent electric lamp 4' secured to the inside of the front 2 bymeans 0&- a. flanges that fits in the frame 6 behind 'the' glass. It

8 at whose center the lam 4 is mounted.

w The front section 7 has at its inner rear edge a flange 9 so shaped'asto form a good seat for the rear section 8,=the front edge of suchfrearsection being turned b'acli'i'n'a bead 10 adapted to fit snugly in saidseat. The rear section 8'isdetachably secured in lace against the frontsection 7 b means of 'ooks 11 haying a T shape an attached tohelicalsprings 12 (or, as shown in'Fig. 4,

' '30:-vice-versa,-'said' parts bem consisting merely of the bent endsof the spring 12) that are in turn secured to lugs 13 riveted to theflange 5, the points of the hooks 11 lying in notches in the flange 1and 5 engaging in the groove at the rear of the bead 10. By-merelyopening the door 2 and releasing the hooks 11, the rear reflectorsection 8 can be removed and the lamp 4 itself made convenientlyaccessible, as well as 10 its current .supply means and connections. Asshown, the current supply means comprise a liberal length of flexiblewire cord 4, sothat the lamp 4 with the reflector sec- 'tion 8 mayconveniently be removed from '15the' lantern and used anywhere about theautomobile as a powerful trouble lamp, or as a Searchlight, etc.,thecord 14 being easilycoiled away in the, casing 1 when the ,lamp 4 is tobe restored to its normal position in the lantern. f i

l The means employed for the mounting of the lamp 4 inthe reflector 3and for the relative adjustment of the lamp and the reflector comprise'apart associate with the former '25 and provided with engaging means,such as fnotches, at different positions lengthwise thereof andapart'associated with the latter and having corresponding engagementmeans, such as one or more pins or studs, or capable of relative rotaryas well as longltudinal movement to' bring the'pins or the like into andout of engagement in the various notches.

As. shown in Fig. 1', the part associated with the reflector 3 is ahollow cylindrical sleeve or socket 'part orshell 15 on which a splitcollar 16 brazed in the reflector section 8 is secured by a screw clamring 17; the corresponding 'part associate with the lamp 4 is itscylindrical base 18, of the bayonet type; and the engagement meansbelonging to ,these? two parts comprise a plurality of' notches 19 atthe front edges of the inclined portions 20 of openin 21 in the shell 15that resemble bayonet s ots and theordinary 1 bayonet pins 22 of thebase 18. The base 18 has end contact means 23 for engaging with thesocket contact means 24 to which the conductor of the flexible cord 14is connected, the return circuit being through the bayonet pins 22 andthe shell 15. The contact means 24 is movably and insulativel mounted inthe socket structure and is yield 'ingly urged forward or outward intoengagement with the lamp base 18 by a helical spring 25. This spring 25thus tends to shift the parts 15 and 18 lengthwise with reference to oneanother in the direction to cause engagement of the pins 21 in the.notches 19, besides acting to hold the lamp of-the notches 19 willcorrespond to the. variations of illumination and delicacy of may bemade b means 0 the screw clamp ring or strap 1 Referring nowto Fig. 2 aswell as Fig. 1, it will be seen that the socket contact means 24consists of the forwardly projecting portion of a member 26 mounted in ahollow part 27 of insulating material, and that, in

addition to the notches 19 already mentioned,each bayonet slot 21 hasanotch 28 opening from infront of the inclined por tion 20. It willfurther be seen that there is.

a sleeve-like member 29 of insulating ma terial around the forwardlyprojecting portion 24' of the contact member 26, and that there .is ahelical spring 30 arranged in a recess at the rear of the insulatingmember 29 and tending to push it forward on the portion 24 of thecontact member beyond the end thereof and so separate the latter and thelamp base 18. The dimensions and pushed apart-coacting shoulders 31 and32 on the -parts 15 and 29, respectively preventing any of the partsfrom being forced too far outward-and securely held out of contact withone another. lighting and extinguishing the lamp 4 by shiftin it in itssocket is advantageously applica 1e to automobile tail-lamps for use inplaces where the law requires that it be impossible to extinguish themfrom within the machine, as well as to headlight and other lamps.- I

It will be observed that the action of the vamous operating parts bywhich the lamp4 is li hted and extinguished as just described resu tsfrom the variation in the length of the space for them behind the lampbase 18 produced by the longitudinal shifting of the lamp 4 in thesocketQ-and that the same ac tion would result from a similar variationproduced without any disturbance of the lamp. In the structure shown,means for extension and contractionof the space bebind the lam base 18additional to the.

' notches 19 an 28 areaccordingly provided This method of by making therear portion 33 of the shell or casing structure that incloses theoperating parts separate from the front portion 15 which receives thelamp base 18 and is secured in the reflector 3 and adjustable withreference thereto; From Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that the enlargedrear end of the part 15 has engagement means comprising inwardlyprojecting studs or bayonet pins 34, and that the part 33 fits within itand has corresponding engagement means in the form of notches 35 and 36in the opposite edges of the slot-like openings 37. The notches 35 and36 associated with each slot 37 are so located that by turning the part33 and shifting the corresponding pin 34 from the former to the latteror vice-versa the lamp 4 will be extinguished or lighted by the sameaction of the interior parts as when it is itself shifted in its socket.While just as applicable to tail-lamps, etc., as that first described,this latter mode of producing the necessary action of the parts is moreconvenient for lanterns such as shown in Fig. 1, for example, because itdoes not necessitate detachment of the rear reflector section 8.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 I have shown a modified construction. that permitsthe adjustment of the lamp 4 with reference to the reflector 3 to beeffected without detachment of the rearreflector section 8, omitting theturning on and off feature for the sake of simplicity. ofconstructionand illustration. As here shown, the hollow cylindrical socket part orshell 40 that receives the lamp base 41 has an inclined opening or slot42 entirely distinct from its bayonet slot 43 that receives the bayonetpin 44 of said base 41, and the notches 45 corresponding to theadjusting notches 19 of Figs. 1 and 2 are at the inclined front edge ofthis opening. The cylindrical collar or sleeve part 46 associated withthe reflector 3 is itself adapted to slide and turn on the shell 40, andthe engagement means corresponding to the bayonet pins 22 of 1 and 2 isa stud or dpin formed by the inwardly projecting en (not visible) of apart 47 screwed through the wall of this sleeve. The means(corresponding to the spring 25) whereby this stud is caused to engagein the notches 45 and held so engaged consists of a helical spring 48arranged between the reflector 3 and a flange 49 at the rear end of theshell part 40. The contact member 26 and the insulating part 27 thatcarries it are yieldingly urged outward and forward in the socket b thespring 25: these parts are in form an action like those of the samenumbers in Figs. 1 and 2, although differently arranged. a As shown,there are seven notches 45 so ocated as to give a range and delicacy ofadjustment sufficient to take care of considerable irregularities in thelocation of the incandescent body or filament 50 in the lamp 4 as wellas to give all the variation of the light distribution likely to bedesired. The adjustment is effected by merely taking hold of the milledor knurled edge of the flange 49 or of the lamp bulb 4 and manipulatingthe part 40 thereby so as to shift the stud or pin 47 from one notch 45to another; and this does not affect the current supply circuit of thelamp 4, the desired adjustment can be made very quickly and certainly.

Referring, now, more particularly to the contact member 26 and theinsulatin means 27 that form the contact device empfoyed in thestructures of Figs. 2 and 6, and first to the former, it will be seenfrom these figures and from Figs. 7 and 8 that said member 26 comprisescylindrical portions 56 and 24 of diflerent diameters, that there is aslot 57 extending lengthwise through the larger portion 56 into thesmaller portion 24 nearly to its end, and that there is a common bore 58extending clear through both portions. It will further be seen thatoppositely facing screws 59 in the portion 56 at opposite sides of thebore 58 afford means for clamping the parts into which the member isdivided by the slot 57 together on a conductor, said parts undergoingflexure in the smaller portion 24 to permit this. As for the insulatingpart 27, it will beseen that it is a sleeve of insulating material (suchas vulcanit-e or fiber) which is reduced at one end so as to fit withinthe spring 25 and has its own bore 60 enlargedat the other end at 61 totake the large portion 56 of the member 26 with-a snu or even rathertight fit. The rest of the bore 60 is of such a size as to be adapted toreceive the smaller portion 24 of the member 26 rather loosely.

When the smaller portion 24 of the contact member 26 is to project andmake contact, as in Fig. 2, the cord l4,. for example, is passed throughthe part 27 from its reduced end, its conductor is stripped ofinsulation for a suitable distance and inserted and clamped in the bore58 at the large end of the member 26, and said member 26 is inserted andpushed home in the enlarged bore of the part 27 at 61, asshown in Fig.2. When thelarger portion 56 is to be exposed and make contact, theflexible cord 14 is passed through the part 27 in the same way; but thestripped conductor is inserted in the 'bore 58 at the small end. 24 ofthe member 26 and after itis clamped the small end 24 is inserted andpushed home in the bore at 61 as shown in Fig. 6.

- In Figs. 9 and 10 I have shown a modified form of contact member 126differing from that just described in having its slot 157 wider in theportion 156 and in having but a single screw 159 for clampin togetherthe parts into which it is divided. lhis arrangement allows theconductor to be bent around the screw 159 before the parts are clampedto ether upon it.

11 Figs. 11 and 12 I have Shown a coupling or connecting plug devicesuitable for flexible cord circuits (such as that of the lamp shown inFig. 1, for example) constructedr-in accordance with my invention. Thepart 70 shown in Figs. 1 and 11 is substantially like the socket of Fig.6, except that its shell 71 is a little longer andlacks the opening 42and the flange 49. The part 72 shown in Fig. 12 has a shell or. casing73 very much like the part 15 of Fig. 2, but closed at its right-handend by an ornamental closure like that-shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 11. Inthis shell 7 3 are parts 26 and 27 arranged as in Fig, 2, but nospring.When the parts 70 and 72 are put together with the bayonet pins of theshell 73 inthe simple bayonet slots of the shell 71, the spring of thepart 70 keeps the contact members 26 of the two parts engaged. It willbe observed that the contact members 26 in both parts are protectedbythe ends of their shells when the parts are separated.

In Fig. 13 I have shown a plug part 75 7 adapted to be used with thepart 70, but

differing from the part 72 of Fig. .12 in being quite short, in havingits shell 76 fit inside the shell of the part 70, in having externalbayonet pins or studs 77, and in having its parts 26 and 27 put togetherlike those of the part 70. This plug part 7 5 makes the connectingdevice as a whole quite short. I 1

What I claim as new and'desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. In a mounting device for an electric lamp, the combination of partsassociated, respectively, with the lamp and with the structure carryingit and fitting one within the other, one'of said parts having notches atdifferent positions lengthwise thereof and the other having meansadapted-to engage in said notches, "'said arts being capable of relativemovement-to rin such means into and out of engagement in t e variousnotches and alter the position of the lamp with reference to theaforesaid structure, and spring means'tending to shift said artslengthwise with reference to one anot er and thereby bring aboutengagement of said means in ber adapted to engage'with the end of thelam base in said hollow art, and means ten ing to push the lamp aseoutward in said hollow part, said hollow part having notches forreceiving a pin on the lamp base I at different positions lengthwisethereof, so

that the position of the lamp with reference I to the aforesaidstructure may be adjusted tending to shift the reference to one anot erin the direction to cause engagement of said means in said ,bymanipulating the .lampso as to engage the pin-in the various notches. 3.In a mounting device for an incandescent electric'lamp, the combinationof a contact device comprising insulating means and a contact memberprojecting therefrom, an insulating member fitting about the pro ectingportion of said contact member, spring means .aroundsaid projectingportlon actingto force said insulting member toward the projecting endthereof, a casing associated with the structure carrying the lampinclosing the parts aforesaid and having a socket for the base of thelamp, and spring means in the casing urging said contact device towardthe open end of the socket, said socket having a plurality of notchesfor a bayonet pin on the lamp base at difi'erent' positions lengthwiseof the socket such that when the pin is in one of them the lamp basewill be held out of contact with said contact member by said insulatingpart and that when said pin is in the others the lamp base will be incontact with said contact member with its filament indifferent positionswith reference to the aforesaid structure.

4. In a mounting device for an electric lamp, the-combination of partsassociated, respectively, with the lamp and with the structure carryingitand fitting one within the other, one of said parts having notches atdifferent positions lengthwise thereof and the other having meansadapted to engage in said notches, said parts being capable of relativerotary and longitudinal movement to bring such means into and out ofengagement in the various notches and alter the position of the lampwith reference to the aforesaid structure, and spring means artslengthwlse with notches.

5. In a mounting device for an electric lamp, the combination of asleeve part asso ciated with the structure carrying the lamp, acylindrical part in said sleeve part associated with the lamp, one ofsaid parts having a slot with an inclined edge having notches thereinand the other part having means ada ted to engage in said notches, saidarts eing capable of relative rotary and ongitudinal movement to bringsuch means into engagement in the various notches and alter the positionof the lamp with reference to the aforesaid structure, and spring meanstending to shift the parts lengthwise with reference to one another inthe direction to cause engagement of said means in said notches.

6. The combination of a casing comprising separate parts, one of whichhas a socket for a lamp base, said parts being longitudinally adjustablewith reference to one another so as to extend or contract the space inthe casing behind a lamp base in the socket, contact means in the casingfor engaging the lamp base, and spring means in the casing which acts toseparate the lamp base and the contact means when the space is extendedand permits them to come together when it is contracted.

7. A socket comprising a casing structure having a socket adapted toreceive a lamp base, said casing structure including means whereby thespace behind a lamp base in the socket may be longitudinally extended orcontracted, a contact member in said casing structure for engaging theend of ,the lamp base, an insulating member in said casing structurearound the contact member, and a spring acting to urge said insulatingmember outward in the casin beyond the end of said contact member so tat when the space is contracted the lamp base will be in contact withsaid contact means and that when the space is extended the lamp base andsaid contact member will be pushed apart.

8. A contact device wmprising a sleeve of insulating material having aportion of reduced diameter atone end and having a large bore at one endand a small bore at the other, a hollow contact member havin a portionfitting in the larger bore of sad sleeve and a smaller portion adaptedto the smaller bore of said sleeve, and means associated with the largerportion of said contact member for clamping a conductor thereto.

9. A contact member having portions of different diameter and a slotextending 'lengthwise through the larger portion and into the smallerportion, so that the parts 40 into which said member is divided may bemade to approach one another by flexure in the smaller portion, andscrew threaded means associated with the larger 1portion for clampingthe parts thereof toget er upon a conductor between them.

10. A hollow contact member having cylindrical portions of differentdiameters and a slot extending lengthwise through the larger portion andinto the smaller portion, so that the parts into which said member isdivided may be made to approach one another by flexure in the smallerportion, and screws 1n the larger portion at opposite sides of its borefor clampin the parts together 5 upon a conductor in sai bore.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day'of March,1914.

GILBERT WRIGH'IX' Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN Onronn.

